We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Give this a listen. It covers child-rearing, victim identities, reflexive empathy, care for the elderly, and the importance of responsibility for meaning in life. Of course, life is difficult and painful. The youth know nothing. Of course life is unfair. You are not all you could be. Everybody is a victim. You have rights so you can meet your responsibilities. Feeling sorry for someone is not a moral virtue. "I don't care about you. I care about who you can be." Be more than you are. Treat yourself like somebody who wants to help you. The consciousness of time. The evil in taking revenge against God for the structure of reality. Etc.
A splendid North American bird in the woodpecker clan. Very fond of eating ants, too. Noticed an influx of them in the past two weeks and learned that they are in the semi-migratory category. Their northernmost breeders move south a bit.
Guten Morgen to all you farmers, and all the ships at sea. It's me, Roger de Hauteville. Bird Dog is having his teeth sharpened at the veterinarian/day spa. So you're stuck with me.
Say, do you speak German? Guten Morgen is German. Like most greetings, it says, "good morning," but really means, "Screw you, get away from the coffee pot, I've got spreadsheets to lie to."
What I find fascinating about guten Morgen, and similar greetings, is that they appear to be accusations, more or less. Now, I've declined very few German verbs, and no invitations to cocktail lounges, but just saying good morning should be guter Morgen if you're just assembling words out of the dictionary. Guten Morgen is correct, however, because it's in the accusative case. Guten Morgen is really just a truncation of a really long sentence in German (is there another kind?) that directs you to have a nice day. Like howdy, or hiya, or howyadoin, or hallo fellow well met, it's an abbreviated, handy way to express a longer thought in a short burst of syllables. It appears to my not very well-educated eye that all greetings are in the accusative case.
So, from now on, to flesh out my greetings with the appropriate sentiment, and stay within the spirit of the accusative, I'll say, "Have a nice day, or else."
Facebook said on Thursday it purged more than 800 U.S. publishers and accounts for flooding users with politically-oriented spam, reigniting accusations of political censorship and arbitrary decision-making.
I'm sure this was accomplished in their usual, even-handed, transparent, and non=partisan way.
Early measurements seemed to indicate that it was an asteroid — a dry rock much like those found orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Then by this past summer, astronomers largely came around to the conclusion that it was instead a comet — an icy body knocked out of the distant reaches of a far-off planetary system. Now a new analysis has found inconsistencies in this conclusion, suggesting that ’Oumuamua may not be a comet after all. Whether it’s actually a comet or an asteroid, one thing is clear: ’Oumuamua is not quite like anything seen before.
They named it ’Oumuamua? The name starts with an apostrophe? Okey Dokey then. Let's pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space, 'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth.
It may seem counterintuitive, but the largest single source of demand for American stocks is the American companies that issue them. Companies are on track to repurchase more than $770 billion in their own stock this year, according to research from Goldman Sachs. That’s more than twice the size of the next largest source of demand, exchange-traded funds, which last year bought $347 billion in shares.
So, according to the Times, companies have been buying gobs of their own stock, which is bad, but they stopped for fifteen minutes to fill out some paperwork, which is also bad. I blame Trump, which I believe is conclusion I'm supposed to draw if I read anything in the Times.
More than 500 years ago, Leonardo da Vinci observed a particular relationship between the size of a tree’s trunk and the size of its branches. Specifically, the combined cross-sectional areas of a tree’s daughter branches are equal to the cross-sectional area of the mother branch. However, da Vinci didn’t know why tree branching followed this rule, and few explanations have been proposed since then. But now in a new study, physicist Christophe Eloy from Aix-Marseille University in Aix-en-Provence, France, has shown that this tree structure may be optimal for enabling trees to resist wind-induced stresses.
I'm not buying it until I hear from Bob Ross. He can paint trees a lot faster than da Vinci, so he must know more about it.
Electric carmaker Tesla Inc said orders for cars placed by Oct. 15 will be eligible for a full federal tax credit of $7,500 and these customers will get their cars delivered by the end of the year. Under a major tax overhaul passed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress late last year, incentives in the way of tax credits that lower the cost of electric vehicles are available for the first 200,000 such vehicles sold by an automaker. The tax credit is then reduced by 50 percent every six months until it phases out.
There are welfare queens, and then there's this guy.
Built in 1867, Punta Carena is one of Italy’s most important lighthouses, and is one of the last in the world to employ a full-time operator. But after being manned by a continuous line of 88 lighthouse keepers predating the dawn of Italian unification in 1871, D’Oriano is its last guardian, and these are his final months on duty.
The Italian government still pays a guy to flip a switch twice a day? Good work when you can get it. Of course Amazon Echo users shell out scads of their own cash, and surrender all their privacy, just so they can shut off the lights in the room they're in without flipping a switch. You decide which is crazier.
A consortium led by a prominent Seoul plastic surgeon purchased a controlling stake in South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange, reports said Friday. The hyper-wired South has emerged as one of the world's top Bitcoin markets, at one point accounting for more than 20 per cent of global bitcoin transactions - about 10 times the country's share of the global economy.
I still keep all my money in greenbacks. They're real, and they're spectacular.
Shortly after taking off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Nick Hague and Alexey Ovchinin reported a problem with the rocket's booster. The men were forced into a "ballistic descent", with their capsule landing a few hundred miles north of Baikonur. They have been picked up by rescuers.
First, picture in your mind flying in a spaceship built by the lowest bidder. Now picture flying in a spaceship built by the lowest bidder in Vladivostok.
Arts, culture and other quality of life issues were top of mind for Amazon.com Inc. officials in discussing Toronto as a possible location for its second headquarters with the city’s mayor. Housing affordability, immigration and transit were also hot topics in the talks earlier this year, Mayor John Tory said. “They spent what some people would probably find a surprising amount of time on what we’ll call, the sort of arts and culture, the general kind of life in the city,” Tory said at an interview at Bloomberg’s Toronto offices.
I'm trying to conjure up a name for someone less hip than Jeff Bezos, but I'm drawing a blank.
Gamification is the application of game elements into nongame spaces. It is the permeation of ideas and values from the sphere of play and leisure to other social spaces. It’s premised on a seductive idea: if you layer elements of games, such as rules, feedback systems, rewards and videogame-like user interfaces over reality, it will make any activity motivating, fair and (potentially) fun.
I blame Sesame Street. No, really. The minute children learned that the alphabet was supposed to get up and dance before you paid attention to it, every succeeding generation was doomed. Me, I prefer to snarl, "Good morning" to everyone at work and then scratch in my ledgers to fleece the customers and lord it over the employees. Jeez, kids these days.
"There are men, in all ages, who mean to exercise power usefully; but who mean to exercise it. They mean to govern well; but they mean to govern. They promise to be kind masters; but they mean to be masters."
There are other jays in North America, but the bold and noisy Blue Jay of eastern North America is the most familiar. Like some other bird species, the Blue Jay is not so much common as it is conspicuous.
A mystery about Blue Jays is their migration. When I lived on Riverside Drive in NYC a century or two ago I watched thousands of Jays flying south in early October, all day long, through Riverside Park. I was confused by that, because Blue Jays are wintertime residents in the Northeast.
I suspect that Blue Jays, along with other species, move a bit south but within their breeding ranges (like Robins, Red-Tailed Hawks, and others). There is some evidence that yearling birds are more likely to travel.
Thus, in wintertime, New England Jays might be Quebec or Ontario breeders, or might be local breeders. Can't tell the difference.
Bird Dog turned me on to the Dilbert creator's daily podcasts. Now, I am addicted. Nobody on TV is as smart as him, he cuts to the core while being friendly, non-partisan, and with a rare degree of clarity. There is no way not to like the guy.
He has been in some pain this week as his 18 year-old stepson died of a drug overdose last week. Still, he carries on.
He admires Trump not because he likes him at all, but he enjoys persuasiveness and effectiveness. I enjoyed his argument this week that all registered Democrats should throw away their guns.
If you buy into the Maggie's Farm approach to "Balanced Fitness for Life", the issue of scheduling comes up (altho not if you do Crossfit, which has a good stew of everything, varying every day, so most Crossfitters go 4-6 days/wk).
Our approach (with expert consultation) is to do your calisthenics classes or calisthenic routines on the day after a weights and powerlifting day. That sort-of counts as an "active recovery" day. If you do a tough calisthenic athletic cross-training hour the day before lifting, most people over 35 will not be at 100% for their weights day.
So that's 4 days right there, assuming you do weight sequences twice weekly. On days before weights, there is no problem with cardio like HIIT or even "long, slow" as a recovery day. (I do "long slow" - elliptical, stairmaster, treadmill - on Sunday mornings before church if there is no big hike planned. Day of rest.) Important to move with intention every day to remain functional.
Every three months it's not a bad idea to take a complete week off from a tough exercise regimen. A week off means away from the gym, and just doing recreational things like hiking, jogging, and swimming. That's a "recovery week." Just bear in mind that, after ten days without hard exercise, fitness measurably declines after age 40.
I had never heard of them. They are evaporative cooling systems which are efficient in low-humidity areas. Deserts, for example. In the desert southwest of the US, they are often roof-mounted. A lot cheaper than a/c, but won't work in most of the US.
The famous psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott came up with the term Transitional Object. His idea had to do with things that symbolically connect with Mom during the process of independence and separation.
Since then the term has expanded to encompass a larger territory. We all understand that humans live in conflict between safety and comfort, and adventure and newness. Winnicott, in his psychoanalytic way, connected it all to connection with Mother but it goes beyond that.
Things and ideas that connect us with our past (which includes our orienting culture in general) are meaningful to those who have strong attachments.
Jordan Peterson often speaks of the importance of the instinctive "orienting reflex" in animals and humans. We all observe how much people vary in their fearfulness and adventurousness. You could view adventurousness as a way of creating excitement by becoming somewhat disoriented, away from safe, familiar, and orienting things, places, and people.
Then for most people, the somewhat disorienting adventure is finished with a return to the things and symbols which signify, or actually are, safe, comfortable, and familiar. Adults do what little kids do.
Just learned: in the last few months the #FBI received over 1400 calls and emails saying Brett #Ķavanaugh raped them. #HystericalLiars. Ritual defamation.
Mao began his Cultural Revolution after the failure of the Great Leap Forward. The Democrats are now enforcing their version of Cultural Revolution now that their economic policies have failed to yield their Utopian Vision.
We've seen the revolution begin at leading digital firms, which release people like James Damore, who provide well-written and well-documented critique of hiring practices, while offering better alternatives which don't happen to fit the political agenda. It's called a "gender memo" and he is a pariah. The claim is he 'got the science wrong', but while it's not 100% spot-on, some scientists said it's pretty good and certainly not a rant or screed. Nevermind. It doesn't meet the level of agenda-setting which Silicon Valley is pursuing. Fire him. More importantly, find ways to limit the speech of employees and online users.
Now, with Kavanaugh, you can keep your job if you commit slander, but try to provide some semblance of balance and you're going to have to go.
For now, the Cultural Revolution will seek to take away reputations and livelihoods. I worry that it's on the verge of getting violent and taking lives. As the anger and outrage of the Left continues to grow - and if the much-ballyhooed "Blue Wave" does not appear in November (I, for one, do not think it will) - you can be sure it will get increasingly more violent. Reputations and jobs won't be enough.
I did manage yesterday get rid of my quota of 1000 books, with the help of two energetic Philipino helpers. (I do not mind stereotyping: I love all Philipinos. Just the best brand of people in the world.) Some to the book exchange, lots to dumpster, but I saved many old friends to replenish my shelves when repainting and floor-refinishing of my work space/library is done. Because they mean the most to me. Difficult choices for sure.Why keep a book if nobody ever intends to read it again? Books are not decor - they are friends, worlds. A painful chore, purging a home of excess.
Amongst it all, I found my journal of my first trip to Europe at age 10. I did not recognize the author - so detailed, so serious. Details about a pet store in Edinburgh. The Zermatt hike to the foot of Matterhorn, worrying about my baby brother on the cliffs. Whenever we traveled, Mom made us keep daily journals. Even then it was clear I loved traveling on ships. Unless the Navy tired you of blue water, nothing is more exciting and North Atlantic weather can be a real kick.
Also found my copy of L'etranger in French from high school, with my penciled notes. Stuff like that. My first copy of Peterson's Bird Guide, with my notes from childhood, falling apart. I noticed my excited notes on my first Bobolink. I took a deep breath and tossed it.
I am all about books, hate TV and movies, generally. My problem is that I forget too much of what I read. Born that way I guess. Mrs. BD reads less than I do, but remembers everything. Quiz her on opera plots or play plots sometime if you see her. You will get an earful.
My son Jason, who just started at UCLA, was honored last night at a banquet by the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
It's a generous scholarship, though quite small compared to the whole bill at UCLA. But beyond the money lay a bigger honor and lesson nailed home to Jason.
(BTW, you'll note from the awardee photo below that many of the recipients are female children of Marines. Female Marines are an increasing number and force within the Marine Corps, and all that I've met are fully Marines. As with them, these female award recipients will add much to our heritage and nation's strength.)
As with other award recipients, all awardees stressed the character lessons drummed in by their Marine Corps parent. What gave me extra pleasure was Jason seeing something additional I've always told him: The Marine Corps is the tightest, most lasting, dependable fraternity (that includes female Marines) in the world. From a bevy of Lieutenant Generals and other top officers and executives, down to this Sergeant, all there interacted and discussed as equal-- and honest and humble- brothers. No need to embellish or brag. We've already proven who we are: Marines.
Among the Board members there was the actor David McCallum. (NCIS; Man From Uncle) Everyone was so thrilled to meet him. He is a kind man with a real sparkle and caring in his eyes.
Here's a few more photos from the event.
That's my son Jason, fifth from the left (above), second from left (below).
If you'd care enough to continue this furtherance of building the next strong American generation, please contribute, whatever you can, to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
You can also contribute by drinking Firestone winery Jarhead Red. Over $700,000 has been contributed from sales of this wine.
There are other jays in North America, but the bold and noisy Blue Jay of eastern North America is the most familiar. Like some other bird species, the Blue Jay is not so much common as it is conspicuous.
Pop History: ‘Pile it High, Sell it Low’: 
The famous psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott came up with the term 
Good book on Columbus: 
